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#1 where we are now (the casual search)
Jan. 22nd, 2023 10:12 pmSometimes it's better just to avoid thinking about an introduction entirely and just start writing, for the sake thereof. It turns out that a lot can happen over the course of several decades. To be able to produce a proper beginning for the reader means that I've filed the sum of years of narratives neatly away and have had the order and such already planned out. In other words, only when the story is written is there an opportunity for a real beginning. But this is a journal, and that's not how this works. I'm supposed to write about what I had for lunch today and who got on my nerves and so on. Not only that, I can't imagine anyone is truly expecting some kind of "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" kickoff to everything.
I've been on social media for a very long time, as have all of us. As for journaling, I had been an active Livejournal user under the same name many years ago, and had long intended on returning to it, but life too often got in the way. As a reader, I'm sure you've heard it before. Whether it had to do with my responsibilities or interest or overall chi on my part, it's hard to say and I have my theories-slash-excuses, but it's been about a baker's dozen of years I haven't attempted this particular writing exercise not even once, which is a shame. Also, I lost the ability somewhere along the way to login to my old journal on there. I have the password right, but since it doesn't recognize my computer it wants to do two-factor authentication to an e-mail address I don't have access to anymore. Sometimes modern problems have neither modern or non-modern solutions, it seems.
Now, that old site I once loved so much has over the years lost so many users, that now it's all too apparent that its golden years are well behind it, at least for those who use a Latin, read not Cyrillic, alphabet. It's sad to see what was once a once explosively vibrant community atrophy into what it is now, which is hard to explain in any way aside from calling it a ghost town. A large part of my desire to write and express myself is to be a part of a tribe of people who can provide input, as I would give input to them, bounce things off of one another here and there. That's the fun part, and something that's kind of missing in sites like Facebook and Twitter. It's there, but the ephemeral nature of those types of social media just can't seem to leaven into that kind of culture.
Even if there were maybe a few accounts left here and there on the old site who I could maybe interact with, it's likely that I could deal with that, but the last shred of hope I had to eventually rejoin it was learning just today about how content on LJ is now hosted on Russian servers, and as such, beholden to Russian government censorship. Namely, users on Livejournal can no longer write anything that could be considered a promotion of the LGBT lifestyle or community. As a man who's neck-deep in the throes of middle age I wasn't really considering writing much about my sexuality (or anyone else's) but I cannot be a part of an environment of that sort of backward thinking. Not only am I philosophically opposed to it, I'd also also consider it a betrayal of many, many loved ones in my life. Plus, it would always be in the back of my mind, wondering if I might write anything else I would write that would upset the Russian establishment to where the Kremlin or whatever would flip a switch and then, poof, everything is gone. It just isn't worth it.
Plus, although I'd rather not speak specifically to something happening in recent world events that I'm admittedly no expert of, regardless I have no desire to either directly or otherwise grant that country's government any favors or good graces.
Isn't that bonkers, though? A site created by an American and had flourished in my country as well as most of the West for years, and one where I put so much of my time and energy as well as that of my friends, met people and developed relationships and lost people, somehow and sort of inexplicably ends up being part of the Russian propaganda machine? What happened? Of all the things, really.
So, after some casual searching, I heard about Dreamwidth. It doesn't seem to be all that choked with activity these days either, but at least people here seem to be free to write whatever they like. I'm not sure why they call it Dreamwidth and I can't say I'm in love with the name, but at least I get to still christen this journal with my prior nom de plume: Posteverything.
Yeah, I used to be a clever kid, a long time ago. But this is an abridged person of me now, for those who aren't familiar: American, Midwest, late 40s, urban, liberal, single parent. I'll be coloring more in between those lines quite soon, I'm certain. In fact, maybe that's what happens next.
I've been on social media for a very long time, as have all of us. As for journaling, I had been an active Livejournal user under the same name many years ago, and had long intended on returning to it, but life too often got in the way. As a reader, I'm sure you've heard it before. Whether it had to do with my responsibilities or interest or overall chi on my part, it's hard to say and I have my theories-slash-excuses, but it's been about a baker's dozen of years I haven't attempted this particular writing exercise not even once, which is a shame. Also, I lost the ability somewhere along the way to login to my old journal on there. I have the password right, but since it doesn't recognize my computer it wants to do two-factor authentication to an e-mail address I don't have access to anymore. Sometimes modern problems have neither modern or non-modern solutions, it seems.
Now, that old site I once loved so much has over the years lost so many users, that now it's all too apparent that its golden years are well behind it, at least for those who use a Latin, read not Cyrillic, alphabet. It's sad to see what was once a once explosively vibrant community atrophy into what it is now, which is hard to explain in any way aside from calling it a ghost town. A large part of my desire to write and express myself is to be a part of a tribe of people who can provide input, as I would give input to them, bounce things off of one another here and there. That's the fun part, and something that's kind of missing in sites like Facebook and Twitter. It's there, but the ephemeral nature of those types of social media just can't seem to leaven into that kind of culture.
Even if there were maybe a few accounts left here and there on the old site who I could maybe interact with, it's likely that I could deal with that, but the last shred of hope I had to eventually rejoin it was learning just today about how content on LJ is now hosted on Russian servers, and as such, beholden to Russian government censorship. Namely, users on Livejournal can no longer write anything that could be considered a promotion of the LGBT lifestyle or community. As a man who's neck-deep in the throes of middle age I wasn't really considering writing much about my sexuality (or anyone else's) but I cannot be a part of an environment of that sort of backward thinking. Not only am I philosophically opposed to it, I'd also also consider it a betrayal of many, many loved ones in my life. Plus, it would always be in the back of my mind, wondering if I might write anything else I would write that would upset the Russian establishment to where the Kremlin or whatever would flip a switch and then, poof, everything is gone. It just isn't worth it.
Plus, although I'd rather not speak specifically to something happening in recent world events that I'm admittedly no expert of, regardless I have no desire to either directly or otherwise grant that country's government any favors or good graces.
Isn't that bonkers, though? A site created by an American and had flourished in my country as well as most of the West for years, and one where I put so much of my time and energy as well as that of my friends, met people and developed relationships and lost people, somehow and sort of inexplicably ends up being part of the Russian propaganda machine? What happened? Of all the things, really.
So, after some casual searching, I heard about Dreamwidth. It doesn't seem to be all that choked with activity these days either, but at least people here seem to be free to write whatever they like. I'm not sure why they call it Dreamwidth and I can't say I'm in love with the name, but at least I get to still christen this journal with my prior nom de plume: Posteverything.
Yeah, I used to be a clever kid, a long time ago. But this is an abridged person of me now, for those who aren't familiar: American, Midwest, late 40s, urban, liberal, single parent. I'll be coloring more in between those lines quite soon, I'm certain. In fact, maybe that's what happens next.
